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Guinean Police Clash With Diallo Supporters

November 14, 2010 7:00 PM

Guineans wait for the results of the election in front of the town hall of Motato, a suburb of Conakry where electoral officials collected and verified ballots from regional polling stations, 9 Nov 2010.

Security forces in Guinea's capital, Conakry, have clashed with protesters, as officials get set to release the results of a close presidential runoff election.

We are here on Rue de Prince in Conakry, just before the Bombeto quartier (neighborhood). To my left there are militants of the former prime minister Cellou Diallo who have barricaded themselves behind a taxi and what appears to be some furniture down a dirt road. Just ahead of us are five or six trucks of special security forces in riot gear. They have been engaged in running street battles with the Diallo supporters here most of the morning.

Diallo supporters set alight tires before the arrival of the special security forces. With the arrival of the special security forces they dispersed most of the crowd with teargas. There, shots! And essentially driven these militants back into the neighborhoods, which would be, I guess, to the north of Rue de Prince.

So, what is this all about? Well, there were elections in Guinea a week ago, Sunday, between Cellou Diallo, the former prime minister, and Alpha Conde, the long-time opposition leader. It has taken a week to get results from that election. The deadline to announce those results has past today. And we do not have those results.

We spoke with Alpha Conde earlier this morning at his home. He said he is confident of victory. It does appear, if you examine the vote totals that have been posted at polling stations but have not yet been announced by the electoral commission, it does appear that Mr. Conde will win this vote. That is, no doubt, why these Diallo militants are out today protesting.

Mr. Diallo himself yesterday withdrew from the vote counting process. He said he would no longer participate in that process because his campaign has evidence of massive fraud. He wants the results of this election delayed at least two weeks.